Whisky fan, consummate actor, and proud Scot Brian Cox shares a intro guide to pronouncing more than forty-five different Scotches. Though it's possible the liquor store owner might not know any better, a good bartender certainly will, and perhaps you'll get a few extra drops for pronouncing it correctly. Maybe.

While these free downloadable labels certainly aren't the only take on pretend poisoning your Halloween (or, if you've a sense of humor, anytime) potent potables, they're among the most believable and well-designed I've run across.

You don't find too many recipes that begin with, "First a note about substituting ingredients or tools. Don't. This method has been exhaustively tested and retested for excellence and the smallest variation can result in catastrophic and unintended consequences."

Somehow, that deserves to be respected, and when the blog post is entitled "Perfect" without

Pop Chart Labs, who make cool, highly organized graphic posters about nearly everything ManMakers like, have released their latest effort, "The Triple Distilled Diagram of Alcohols," a "A boozy chart of every variety of alcohol, from fermented concoctions

Many travel for beaches. Some travel for mountains, and others for architecture, art, or anonymity. And then there's me, and others of a similar ilk, who when we pick our next destination or pass through a new region, though we're happy to take in a museum or two, travel for local food and drinks.

At least where I live, making your own spirits at home is still considered moonshinin', and therefore illegal. Were it not, I think I'd try to built my own mini-still and experiement with distilling and aging my own spirits.

When I was a kid, we weren't allowed to drink soft drinks much at home, so my mom would often by club soda and lightly fruit flavored sparkling waters for a treat. They sat at the side of the fridge, and I learned the colors - blue for regular, pink for raspberry, and green for lemon lime. One day - a new flavor showed up (yellow!), and I was excited to give it a try.

The summer season invites us to try new things: visit new places, read a different kind of book, try a new recreational activity, see a movie we wouldn't otherwise be caught dead in simply because the theater cranks it's AC down to 65 degrees...

And, of course, new flavor experiences. Specifically, new cocktails. This Summer Cocktail Generator pairs three base spirits with just a few basic modifiers and mixers to create all kinds of classic cocktails, each of which are exactly what you want to drink during the warmer months.

Candy and cocktails. Not just cocktail-flavored candies, but sweet little chewy guys, full of actual spirits and the classic flavors of the mixed drink that inspired them. In short: Best. DIY Project. Ever.

I'm always down to try a new cocktail recipe. But, it can be a pretty big investment to go in for a whole bottle of flavored vodka or special liqueur when you're not even sure if you like the drink in the first place. And, often, many of them taste like candy, artificial extracts, or weird chemicals.

So, make your own. They're much less expensive, taste way better, and you can make as little or as much as you want. With all the fresh summer produce coming to the markets, there's every reason to give it a shot.

You usually can't tell what kind of bar you're in within the first five minutes. You've got to sit for a minute, watch the other patrons, let the jukebox play a few selections, let the bartenders do their thing, perhaps even order some food. Sure, you may know you're in a dive by the general smell and look at the place, but it'll take a round or two to know whether you're in a great dive.

Designer Ross Moody has turned the well-wishing birthday card into something the celebrated can actually use: a shot glass. As the card itself says, " No seriously. This card turns into a shot glass. Get to it."

Ah...whiskey. It's mostly just grains, mashed up and fermented, then distilled and aged a bit.

But, when you think of all the different grains - barley, rye, malted barley, malted rye, wheat, corn - plus all these distinct flavors that occur during the fermenting proces and, particularly, the aging process, which results in the various kinds of whiskey - like bourbon, Canadian whiskey, single malt Scotch, blended Scotch, Tennessee whiskey, Irish whiskey, Japanese whiskey...it's a lot to get your mind around.

When architecht Eric Schiller was inspecting the oak staircase in his Victorian-era home in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, he noticed a curious rectangle on the landing, an out of place solid slab amidst the planking of the floorboards. He located a small thumbhole, and lifted the slab to discover

Oh, man...I dunno how I missed this until yesterday, but apparently, the new season of Mad Men starts this Sunday. I mean, I remember nearly a year ago when it was supposed to come out, all the reports said, "March 2012," but who can actually keep track of those things? Musn't dwell. Moving on.

Anyway, you should watch it, and better yet, you should participate even more fully by finding some reason to wear a suit, listening to Sam Cooke, and mixing up some classic cocktails.